HE’S A KEEPER: Minnesota’s Mannone MLS goalkeeper of the year

Major League Soccer announced Thursday that Minnesota United FC’s Vito Mannone has been voted its goalkeeper of the year.

The 31-year-old Italian goalkeeper enjoyed a memorable 2019 MLS season in which he set several season club records, including wins (15), saves (129) and shutouts (11), as the club reached the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in its three-year MLS history.

Mannone was an integral part of Minnesota’s improved defense and led the team to the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final.

He received 17.67 percent of the vote, followed by D.C. United’s Bill Hamid (13.33 percent) and New York City FC’s Sean Johnson (10.98 percent).

Mannone’s 129 saves ranked second in the league as he set a club record with a 259-minute shutout streak. MNUFC’s 43 goals conceded during the regular season ranked third lowest in the Western Conference – a significant accomplishment for a team that conceded a conference-high 71 goals in 2018 and a league-high 70 goals in 2017.

With first-year MLS player Mannone anchoring this year’s club, Minnesota posted a 28-goal decrease from 2018, which represented the third-best turnaround in league history. Mannone is the first Minnesota United player to win the goalkeeper of the year award.

The goalkeeper of the year award was voted on by MLS club technical staff, media and current MLS players. Below is a breakdown of the voting results:

About The Author

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered eight World Cups, seven Olympics and all 21 MLS Cups. He writes about New York City FC, New York Cosmos and the U.S. national team for Newsday and pens a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has two more in the works, including one about the Rochester Lancers.